#10 The waves roll

Hello friends,

A few weeks ago I got hooked on this project. Not only is it an engineering marvel, the decade long journey is fascinating.

Growing up on the coast of North Carolina, Kelly Slater was one of the athletes many kids dreamed of becoming. He is the Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Steve Jobs, Warren Buffet Roger Federer and Usain Bolt of surfing.

These days Kelly has focused his efforts on entrepreneurial efforts. One of which is the artificial wave seen above.

Since following the story, I've spoken with several friends who are working on major personal projects. A few of these are startups, while others are more artistic in nature–like novels, films, records, etc. A common theme I've heard is that they feel pressure to "ship it" even though it's not where they want it.

It's hard sometimes to hold on to your vision these days. The masses are telling us to get an MVP out there as soon as possible or be first to market. Often this comes at the price of half-baked ideas and average products. Hearing Kelly talk about working on this for a decade until it could exist in a way that rivaled a natural wave is encouraging. You can tell he was careful to surround himself with a team that shared the vision and patience he had.

My friend Chris is working on his "wave." He's been working on a novel for several years now. In the back of my mind, I've wondered why he hasn't just published it already. But after speaking with him the other week, I could tell the book was finally where he wanted it. The look in his eye and the way he spoke about the characters was proof that patience pays off. As I finish reading the book, I appreciate him not sharing it with me too soon.

This type of patience is hard for me. I often catch myself being in a rush to get projects done just to have them launched. My anxiousness is usually caused by trying to make something for someone else. Not all projects are for other people or customers. Sometimes it's for yourself.

And that is ok.

If you'd like to read Kelly's interview about his wave in Surfer Magazine, click here.

Until next time,

Honestly,

David

P.S. A short story well told: The Present - https://vimeo.com/152985022

P.P.S. This app has been helpful for tracking mileage: MileIQ

P.P.P.S. Go here if you use Pocket, and want to see what I'm recommending

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